


Dress to Impress

by TheLudo_of_life



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Actors filming Regency era show/film, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Eventual Fluff, M/M, Merthur - Freeform, Multi, On the film set, slow burn(probably)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-13 01:21:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28770027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLudo_of_life/pseuds/TheLudo_of_life
Summary: Being the costume designer on set, Merlin tries to get away with as much amusement as he can. But he slowly realizes there is a price to pay.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Kudos: 25





	1. First day on set

It was a cool, crisp Monday morning, and it almost made Merlin not hate himself or everything around him as he walked towards his work, sipping his coffee. He was let in the production studio after he showed his entry pass, and he went straight to his room. That is to say, the Makeup and Costume Department. Yes, years of studying history and art had led him here, on the filming set of a limited series set in the Regency Era, supervised by a novice director, Leon, last name unknown. He seemed to think this gave him more depth and an air of seriousness. It didn’t, really, but no one would tell him that, not because they were unsure of him, but because he was a genuinely nice, placid fellow. Merlin would almost feel sorry for him.

The show was only in the beginning stages of production; it was supposedly the story of a young man in that era, trying to find more to life than just the man who was to succeed his father’s high position at court, and inherit the enormous wealth that he had never really worked for.

Oh, how the poor rich people struggle, Merlin scoffed to himself.

He tossed the empty coffee cup in the bin, took his scone out of his bag and began sorting out the fabrics and hats. A few minutes later, he threw down the hats he was holding with an exasperated sigh. How was he to select and design costumes, if he didn’t know who to tailor and model them for?! For up till now, apart from a few minor characters and some set designs and props, nothing had been finalized yet.

He had never had any real interest in this job, but it was better than being destitute. And he was eternally grateful for Gwen, who was the hairdresser and makeup artist there, for getting him the job. Speaking of, Gwen entered their shared room for costumes and makeup, put down her purse and smiled at him. He grinned back.

“Everything alright, Gwen? You’re late today, and I was getting worried,” he teased her.

Gwen rolled her eyes at him, but chuckled all the same.

“I bring news,” she said, cryptically.

He waited for her to continue, and when she didn’t, he frowned.

“Well…?”

“I’ll only tell you if you give me the rest of that scone,” she pointed at his desk.

Sighing dramatically, he handed her the rest of the scone. Gwen giggled at his theatrics.

“You know, Merlin, you should really audition for the show. I’m sure they’d hire you,” she teased.

“But on a serious note,” she said, ignoring his stink-eyed expression, “I just heard that the lead actor has been cast. Along with the guy who’s supposed to be his best mate. And no, before you ask, I don’t know anything about them, or even who they are.”

Merlin considered it. “Well, at least we’ll get to actually do some work from now on.”

Gwen nodded. They heard the bell ring, and quickly walked out of the room to see what it was about.

There was quite a crowd out at the entrance, actors and artists and designers alike. One tall, gigantic figure stood out in the crowd, looming over everyone else. Merlin gaped at him.

So did Gwen, apparently, because she asked, “Who’s that?”

Merlin shrugged. He jolted when someone whispered, close to his ear,

“That’s the stuntsman right there.” Merlin turned back indignantly, only to find that it was Elyan. He worked the camera, and though a little hot tempered, was sorta easy to talk to. Merlin relaxed, and shook hands with him. 

“Percy, his name is. Met him a couple days ago, guy seems alright. Nice, friendly… we get along well already.”

“Well, we’ll go around and meet him later then,” Gwen said, “But what is all this crowd for?”

“Oh, the hero hath arrived!” Elyan said theatrically, laughing. The others around them laughed as well.

Just then, a sleek, black car pulled up. From the door facing them, came a gorgeous green-eyed lady, sharply dressed in a dark green pantsuit with her long black hair pulled back in a ponytail. From the other side, a tall man stepped out. He was only wearing a plain black hoodie and track pants, but they seemed to accentuate the toned muscles and abs even more. His hair was blond and messy, and before Merlin could look at his eyes, the man put his sunglasses on, and stretched out his arm for the lady, exposing the veins bulging out on his forearm.

Merlin let out a low whistle, and Gwen nudged him.

“Oh, can you believe I get to run my fingers through those beautiful golden strands?” she sighed.

As the crowd began talking again, Leon cleared his throat, silencing them.

“Please welcome our main lead, Mr. Arthur Pendragon, and his lovely sister, Ms. Morgana!”

The moment their names were announced, shocked murmurs filled the place. Merlin, too, was surprised. He had read about the Pendragon dispute a few weeks ago. Apparently, the father-son egos were too fragile and, after a particularly ugly fight, Arthur had quit his post at his father’s multi-million-dollar company. Morgana had wisely distanced herself from their father quite some time ago and had started her own PR agency.

But nowhere had Merlin read that Arthur was into acting. This was either way beneath his dignity, or he was in way over his head.

Eh, well. Merlin was certainly not complaining about the prospect of working with this strikingly beautiful man, however short it may last.

Leon and the Pendragon siblings had a brief chat, and then Arthur gave a short speech about how excited he was about working with them all. It certainly did not feel as heartfelt as his words implied. He looked stiff and bored, and made him seem arrogant and pretentious.

After a while, everyone went back to their work. Merlin and Gwen chatted to themselves as they made their way back.

“So,” Gwen said, “The guy is… pretty, huh?”

“Pretty pompous, yes,” Merlin scoffed. “You heard him, right? The man looked bored out of his mind, like he was forced into this. And he looks like he won’t hesitate one bit to have us all sacked, if we so much as made eye contact with him.”

Gwen hummed. “Yeah, well, that may be. But he did just lose his job and likely, all his money. He might just be struggling to get back from all that. And if you wanna keep this job at least, you better not spill your thoughts out anytime soon.”

Merlin only shrugged.

For the rest of the day, they did not see the Pendragons. They spent the day taking measurements, sorting out costumes and matching accessories for a few of the supporting characters.

After his work for the day was done, Merlin bade Gwen goodbye and rushed out to beat the evening chill. It was pretty dark and cloudy already and he had no intention of getting drenched in the rain. Cursing himself for forgetting his umbrella, he pushed through the doors and dashed out, only to crash headlong into a tall chap who was talking over phone.

The man steadied himself, and before Merlin could hit the floor and suffer a concussion, grabbed at his arm. Merlin realized with a shock that he had bumped into the famed Arthur Pendragon.

“What do you think you’re….” he growled, but stopped mid-sentence and stared. He didn’t have his sunglasses on, and Merlin dared to look him in the eyes. In the dim evening light, they shone a strange color of blue, like two sapphires, crowned by a mop of scruffy golden hair. He nearly lost his balance again, only saved by Arthur’s strong hold on his arm. He looked down at the hand, and was almost disappointed to see Arthur’s sleeves pulled down, fully covering his forearms.

When Merlin glanced up again, he saw Arthur staring at his lips. it was only the sudden, distant rumble of thunder that made them snap out of their trance. Arthur released his arm hurriedly.

“Watch where you’re going,” he mumbled, glancing away, and was gone.

Merlin stood still, a bit dazed.

His mind tried to process what had just happened. Did he really just have a little moment with Arthur Pendragon? And was Arthur actually gaping at him?! No, no surely, that was just his imagination. It was a fairly long day and his mind was playing tricks on him. 

Merlin slowly walked back home, barely registering the raindrops hitting his skin. His mind kept flashing back to the spark he thought he saw in Arthur’s blue eyes, when he looked at him. And for the first time, he did not mind getting drenched in the rain.


	2. Of Friends and Feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merlin thinks Gwen is too quick to jump to conclusions about his feelings. But is she, really?

Having been given the information and description of the scenes they were to begin filming, Merlin set to work early. Arthur’s look had to be rich and cocky. He was doing a bang up job of that himself, Merlin thought. As he skimmed through the fabrics, he picked up a vibrant red color, with a maroon pattern woven through it. His eyes gleamed. It would suit Arthur to perfection. As he dragged his fingers over the cloth, there was a quick knock and the door burst open.

It was Arthur himself, being led by an assistant.

“Mr. Pendragon is here to be fitted for the costumes.”

And she left as suddenly as she came in.

Merlin and Arthur were left alone in the room. They stood still, glancing at each other and then away. Arthur rubbed his hands.

“Should we get on with it, then?”

“Yes. I… yes,” Merlin stepped aside and beckoned him towards the racks. They talked about the show and the scenes briefly, and then went quiet again. He tried a bunch of colors on Arthur, before finally picking up the red cloth he had dropped on the ground earlier and placed it on Arthur’s shoulders. Merlin gasped. It was like the red was always meant to adorn Arthur, to accentuate the bright blue of his eyes. As he looked into them through the mirror, Merlin was captured by the intensity of Arthur’s stare on him, but the moment their eyes met, he looked away.

Arthur cleared his throat.

“What’s your name?”

“Merlin. Emrys.”

“Right, Merlin,” he said slowly, letting the name roll off his tongue. “Do… do you like this?” He gestured to his shoulder, where Merlin’s hand still lay, holding down the cloth.

He stammered. “I like… what?”

He snatched his hand off Arthur. The cloth slid to the floor.

“The fabric. Do you think it suits me?”

“It looks divine,”

And he immediately kicked himself mentally. Devine?! What the fuck was he thinking?!!

Arthur cocked his eyebrow, then bent down and picked up the fallen cloth. He pressed it into Merlin’s hands.

“Well, I suppose I should leave you to your work now..”

“You’re leaving?”

“Yeah, I got stunts and stuff to practice now with… Percival..?”

“Ahh yes, I’ve met him before. Percy’s very easy to work with, you’ll really enjoy it, I’m sure.” Merlin smiled.

“That’s nice, then.” Arthur put out his hand. “It was nice meeting you, Merlin.”

Merlin slid his hand into his warm palm, and they shook hands.

“I’ll see ya later, then.” Arthur gestured towards the door with his free hand and started walking out, when Merlin grabbed at the hand he was still holding, causing Arthur to tumble back into him. They almost bumped noses, when Merlin stepped back awkwardly,

“Sorry, but I still need to take your measurements,”

Arthur nodded, and looked down to where Merlin’s hand still rested on his chest. Merlin realized it, and quickly turned around for the measuring tape. Holding his breath, he quickly took down the measurements, looking anywhere but at Arthur. After it was done, Arthur gave him a curt nod, turned on his heels and left.

For almost a week after that, they did not cross paths again. At lunch one day, Merlin found out from Gwen and Percy that Arthur had been held up at stunt practice and meeting the other cast members all week. He was also graced by a sly smirk from Percy and a wink from Gwen, which he wilfully ignored.

One afternoon, as Gwen and Merlin were lazing about in their workspace, there was a knock at the door. Once again, the assistant popped in, with someone else in tow. But before she could begin talking at all, Arthur dashed in.

“I’ll take it from here, thank you.”

He said, practically pushing the poor woman out. He held the door open, as the other man to entered. He was ruggedly handsome, just a smidge shorter than Arthur and had long, flowy hair which made Gwen’s eyes sparkle. Arthur clapped the guy on the back and introduced him.

“Ah, Merlin, Gwen, this young man here is Gwaine. He is to play my best friend in the show; we have been rehearsing together for days now.”

Gwaine surprised them both by going in for a warm hug instead of a handshake with Merlin, and daintily kissed Gwen’s hand, greeting her with a “M’Lady,” making them all laugh.

Arthur rolled his eyes. “Still in character I see,”

“Always. I quite like the old-timey way of greeting the ladies,” Gwaine winked at Gwen, making her cheeks flush.

“Hmm… so I suppose you see Percival as a lady too, then?”

Gwaine’s jolly composure cracked momentarily, and he scoffed.

“I… that was just… whatever, Pendragon. He thought it funny.” He muttered. Arthur hummed, but said nothing more.

Sensing the strain, Gwen intervened and nudged Merlin.

“Maybe you should help Gwaine out with his costumes?”

They took the hint, and Merlin led him towards the clothes racks. Arthur lingered for a few moments, and after chatting with Gwen a bit, left.

“So Gwaine,” Merlin asked, casually, “What do you make of him?”

“Huh?”

“Arthur. What’s he like, to hang out…. Err.. work with?”

“Oh. Well, from what I’ve seen of him, once you get past the dickish rich-boy persona, he’s actually kinda pleasant. I’d even venture to say charming. But I’ll warn you right now, the man makes for a _terrible_ wingman,” he huffed.

“Ah,” Merlin smiled. “So you’ve hung out outside of work, then,”

“Not yet, but we’re planning to.”

“Where?”

Gwen had joined them, a wicked smile on her face.

“Why do you wanna know all that about Arthur anyway, _Merls_?”

Merlin scowled at her. He hated that nickname, and she knew it damn well. Gwaine caught on, and tried to pry it out of him.

“Yeah Arthur’s hot and all,” he began, “But not really my type. Is he yours, Merls?”

At this, Merlin became flustered.

“No! I… I don’t know. Doesn’t matter, anyway and we should get back to work now.” And he ducked behind the racks. Gwen and Gwaine snickered to each other.

It was finally time for costume rehearsals. Arthur was supposed to have been there over an hour ago. Losing time already, Merlin and Gwen set to work readying the other actors. When there were only a couple of them left, Arthur entered, looking cool and composed as if he wasn’t already almost two hours late. Merlin glowered.

“You’re very late.”

“Good morning to you too, Merlin.”

“Arth… Mr. Pendragon,” he paused, at which Arthur frowned, “You were supposed to be here ages ago. If you’re not ready on time, we might lose our jobs, but not you.”

Arthur opened his mouth, as if in retort, but changed his mind.

“Sorry. I got caught up. And besides, it was so crowded in here, I thought I’d wait my turn.”

Merlin cocked his brow and looked at Gwen, but she just shrugged and motioned Arthur towards makeup. As she made him up and set his hair, Merlin finished with the last remaining actors. He then arranged Arthur's costume, which was a black shirt with a vest made of that lovely red fabric, paired with deep brown trousers and boots.

“All done!” Gwen chirped. Arthur thanked her, and as she set her brushes and combs straight, he strode to Merlin.

“Your costume is all set.”

Arthur glanced at it, and said, “Alright. Dress me up, then.”

And he removed his t-shirt in one quick motion. Merlin stared, agape.

“….what?”

“You will help me into the clothes, yes?” he asked, as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

“Why would I do that? You can wear your own clothes, can’t you,”

“Well yes, but these are costume clothes, and I don’t want to tear them or anything.” Arthur leaned forward, his neatly combed hair gently brushing Merlin’s forehead, and smirked, “I can be a bit rough, you know,”

Merlin’s mouth felt dry. He glanced towards Gwen, but apparently she was way too immersed in combing out the wigs.

He took the shirt and slipped it over Arthur’s shoulders. As he buttoned the shirt up, his fingers brushed against the well-toned abs. he was fairly certain he had heard Arthur gasp, but said nothing. He continued buttoning the shirt, taking his own sweet time, letting his fingers graze against Arthur’s torso, his chest, his collar bones. He quickly turned back to get the vest and eased it on. As he smoothed the slight creases at the collar, Merlin suddenly realized just how close they were both standing. His hands were now almost cupping Arthur’s face and he could feel the hot breath that escaped his quivering lips on his face. Merlin felt himself shiver slightly, which jolted Arthur back to attention.

When Arthur spoke, his voice was low and breathy.

“I’ll… uhh… get the trousers on myself.” He grabbed the pants and went behind the screen without waiting for an answer. Merlin let out a breath he hadn’t realize he was holding in. when he focused his vision, he saw Gwen give him a knowing stare. He just shook his head and gestured her to go back to doing her work, but she pushed on, dramatically fanning herself with her hand and mouthing something which Merlin would really rather not comprehend.

Arthur stepped out, looking every bit of the roguish duke he was supposed to look.

“You look great,” Gwen said, cheerily.

He looked to Merlin, "How do you think I look, Merlin?" He only nodded his agreement. Arthur pestered on.

" _Divine_ , perhaps?" he smirked. Merlin went beet-red, remembering their conversation from over a week ago. He gave a weak laugh and fully avoided Gwen's sudden cackle.

Thanking them quickly and giving them both a curt nod, Arthur left the room.

As Merlin prepared himself for the inevitable onslaught of taunting and pestering, all he could think of was the _major_ wardrobe changes he had in mind for Arthur Pendragon.


	3. Clothes Make a Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The squad agrees it might be time for Merlin to start realizing his feelings.

Rehearsals and shoots were in full swing. Merlin and Gwen were constantly busy at work, fixing dresses and redoing makeup. Merlin would still, somehow, sneak up on the sets with the pretence of ‘analysing the scene to get a better idea for costumes’. No one seemed to notice that he only came on set during Arthur’s character’s scenes. He, however, noticed a lot. He noticed that when the cameras were not on Arthur, he was always out learning lines or practicing stunts and horse riding. He barely had time to gobble down his lunch before going back to work, and didn't socialize a lot, except with Gwaine.

And inspite of all this, Arthur would always be the last one in the dressing room, insisting that he be the last to be made up. This was seen as chivalry on his part by the majority of people, but Merlin sensed something else. He dared not voice it out, though. Several failed experiences in the past had taught him to not get his hopes up. But apparently Gwen did not get that memo, for she did not stop shooting glances and winking at him every time he was dressing Arthur, whose back was to her.

One other thing Merlin noticed, was how Arthur liked to roll his sleeves back to just below his elbow. That, from then on, became Merlin’s principal focus for a while. When Arthur came back to the dressing room at the end of the shoot, his sleeves were still rolled up. Merlin asked him about it.

“Why do you do that?”

“Huh?”

“With the sleeves. I saw you on set too, rolling them up. Does the material bother you or something?”

Arthur looked down at his arms, looking almost sheepish.

“No, the material’s fine. I just felt… the truth is,” he muttered, making Merlin frown, “I saw you looking at them and I figured you didn’t like it. I thought you’d come over and change it yourself, but… I suppose you were busy or something and I just decided to sorta help you out. Is.. is it that bad?”

Merlin almost chuckled at the earnest puppy-dog eyes Arthur was making, without realizing it. He must have showed something in his expression, for the next moment Arthur began pulling down the sleeves in a hurry.

“Oh no don’t,” Merlin quickly crossed over to him and held the hand that was tugging at the sleeve.

“I… I quite like it this way,” he surprised himself with the boldness. He gently grazed his fingertips over the bulging veins on his forearm, and felt the faint throbbing of blood in them. He looked up into Arthur’s sparkling blues, intently.

“I’m glad,” Arthur whispered. He cleared his throat.

Merlin watched him amused. “I’m actually surprised you cared for my opinion,”

“And I’m surprised you cared to watch me on set.” Came the retort, almost immediately.

“Uhh, don’t flatter yourself so much. And if you must know, I’m only trying to see what improvements the costumes need.”

“And I suppose your interest is only in my costumes? ‘Coz I have never seen you watch anyone else performing,”

Merlin bristled. “Wha.. that’s not… what are you, following me or something?”

Arthur shrugged. “You’re kinda hard to miss.”

He did not care to elaborate, so Merlin was left to make his own conclusions.

After changing back into his own clothes, Arthur turned to Merlin again, with a challenging stare.

“Well then, let’s see the ‘improvements’ you’ve made,”

Merlin’s mind went blank for a second, before realizing what he meant.

“Yeah… they are not ready yet…?”

“Aw really?” Arthur mocked him, arms crossed in front of his chest, momentarily distracting Merlin again. “I know for a fact that you usually work waaay faster than this. So you’ve either lost your edge, or you’ve been lying and just wanted an excuse to stare at me.”

His smirk started fading slowly, however, as he saw Merlin’s ocean blue eyes sharpen. He could have sworn he saw a golden flash in them.

“Fine.” Merlin’s voice was low. “I did have something in mind, but now that we talked about the sleeves, I have a better idea. It’ll be ready before your next shoot begins. Now if you’ll excuse me, I told Gwen I’d help her with some new products she bought.”

He walked away before Arthur could get in another word. He stepped out into the sun and took a deep breath. A few more minutes in that cramped space with Arthur, and he would have combusted from all that heat under his collar. The door opened behind him, and Gwen stepped out, shielding her eyes.

“What was all that?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. You weren’t even in the room.”

“Yeah I was outside the door and I could still feel the tension. Merlin, what is happening to you? You’re acting weird, practically following him around the set and all. If you like him, you can just say so.”

Merlin looked at her irritably. He almost hated how she could read him like an open book. Sure, he did feel… something for Arthur, but he knew he had no shot. He knew it was just a teasing banter they had with each other, but it was so much easier and safer for him to pretend like Arthur was a jerk.

He turned to face Gwen.

“Gwen the ‘tension’ you picked up on, was just that guy being a major prick, that’s all. There’s never been, nor will be anything happening between us.”

Seeing him agitated, she dropped the topic.

A couple hours later, Merlin returned to the room after drowning a big cup of coffee, to find Gwen fussing over Arthur’s hair, prepping him up for his scenes. He nodded at them and quietly crossed over to his section. As he glanced over, he noticed Gwen had put a very dull makeup on Arthur, baggy eyes and everything. Frowning, he looked into the scene description and saw that the scene was an emotional, poignant one. He bit his lip. Here’s where he was gonna get back at Arthur for teasing him so.

When he came over, Arthur couldn’t find his costume, save for a pale, nearly transparent shirt on the hanger. He looked at Merlin questioningly.

“Merlin, where are my clothes?”

“This is it. Put this shirt on, over the trousers you already have, and you’re ready to go.”

“But this… this is what your 'genius' mind got? It’s entirely see-through, I don’t see the purpose of me wearing it here,”

Now it was Merlin’s turn to cross his arms. “Ah, see that’s why you leave it to the professionals. You are supposed to be very vulnerable and emotionally exposed in this scene, and that’s exactly what you’ll look.”

“…exposed?”

“Yep. It’s all about the symbolism,” he looked on calmly as Arthur stared at him, mystified, and then shrugged and put the shirt on. He grimaced as he looked at himself in the mirror, and Merlin could barely control his grin.

“You’re all set now. Off you go!” He called out cheerily as he shoved Arthur out. As he closed the door, he chuckled to himself.

Gwen cocked her brow.

Merlin tried to control his laughter. “What?”

“At least try to come up with better excuses next time, Merlin,”

He shrugged, sticking his tongue out at her as she rolled her eyes.

It became a habit from then on, for Merlin to make up the most exasperating excuses to dress Arthur in as little clothes as possible. It became a running joke among Gwen, Elyan and Percy, to guess what poorly concealed excuse Merlin was to cook up next. They would come over to watch the ‘parade’, as they dubbed it, whenever they could. Needless to say, when Merlin called them out for it, he was teased mercilessly over it.

“Oy! You guys can all stop it now. I can assure you all, I have absolutely no interest in Arthur like that. It’s all strictly professional.”

Elyan chortled. “Yeah I have won several bets against these two, which says otherwise.”

“…you’re all _betting_ on this?!”

“Eh, all work can get boring at times”

Merlin stared at them, and spoke up. “ Well I suggest you start saving up your money, and stay outta my business. All of you.”

“It’s not really all that embarrassing to like him, y’know,” Percival interjected, “Plenty of people crush on him, bad, and I think you should probably try out your luck before he slips away,”

“Ha! Says the guy who’s been pining over Gwaine for months. What’s your excuse for not dating him, then?”

“Who said we aren’t?” was the quiet reply, at which, after a moment of shocked silence, began another round of hooting and cheering. This time, Merlin joined in as well.

Suddenly, a thought struck Merlin.

“WAIT,” he shouted, grabbing Percy by the shoulders, “does this mean Gwaine knows of all this, too?”

Before Percy could answer, the door opened slightly, and Gwaine’s head peeked in.

“Oh, I sure do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idk if the chapters seem too short right now, but I'm working on making them at least a lil bit longer...  
> :))

**Author's Note:**

> Trying something new/classic; modern day people in the world of period dramas. May or may not have taken inspiration from Bridgerton...  
> Hope it comes out fine! :))


End file.
